Hoping to Return Soon
by Abcbatsyzyx
Summary: The never-ending bickering at home have lead Dean to try a different solution. However, this new solution proves to be quite a problem. Will John be able to save Dean just in the nick of time? Hurt!Dean. Limp!Sam.


_Title: Hoping to Return Soon_

_Summary: The never-ending bickering at home have lead Dean to try a different solution. However, this new solution proves to be quite a problem. Will John be able to save Dean just in the nick of time? Hurt!Dean. Limp!Sam. Rated M for violence._

_Disclaimer: Nothing that pertains to Supernatural(one of the greatest shows known to man) is mine. If you see anything that is remotely familiar it probably is not mine so yeah please don't sue or anything._

_A/N: Okay. I've been meaning to publish this for quite a while but school has taken its toll on me so my personal life has been placed on hold for quite a while. When I wrote this I had completely forgotten that John says that he thought vampires were extinct in _Dead Man's Blood_. So please read this as if John had never said that. Dean is about 20 and Sam is about 16. Thanks for reading and please review!_

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They were at it again – the screaming, the arguing, the insults. Dean starting to forget how "happy" they used to be. Well, they had never been the perfect family, but it was certainly better than this. He missed his dad's failed attempts to be a father. He missed Sammy's short-lived innocence. Lately, Sam and his dad fought all the time. Sam wanted a normal life. His dad wanted Sam to stay and continue the family business. This had become a daily routine. He would let them express themselves for a little while then he would interrupt. But lately, every time he intervened he became the enemy. Once, Sammy had even refused to talk to him because he had not agreed with him. Dean wanted Sam to have a normal life, but he knew once a hunter, always a hunter. Quite frankly, he was tired of all the commotion. He snatched his keys off the table and left, hoping that when he would return the fight would be over.

He turned the key and the engine roared to life. He was sure the other two Winchesters still hadn't noticed his absence. He could see their arguing shadows on the window curtain. He drove to a diner he had seen on his way to the motel. As he ordered three hamburgers to go, all he could think about was the fight his dad and brother were having. Sam deserved a normal life, but John had made way too many enemies for Sam to live a happy, quiet normal life. He wondered if this was the life his mother would have wanted for them. A life filled with violence. Dean loved the occasional hunt, but this arguing at home was wearing him down. Dean heard his number, grabbed the burgers and headed home. He tapped the steering wheel to the sound of AC DC, when he came up with an idea. What about if he left for a while? If he was away, then maybe Sam and John would be forced to solve their differences. Dean knew it was a ridiculous plan and he would receive the lecture of a lifetime but he couldn't live like this anymore.

When he pulled up, the motel room was silent. He was glad it was over. He opened the door and saw John buried in his journal and Sam in his computer, doing homework without a doubt. He walked noisily over to the table and put the burgers on the table. "I brought burgers."

However, both Winchesters ignored him.

He had it with their childish attitudes. His momentary happiness had disappeared. He felt like screaming, yelling at both of them to knock some sense into them. But neither noticed his rage. For all they cared he was nonexistent. He snatched his burger and started to chow it down. When he was done he didn't even bother to change his clothes. He kicked off his boots and laid down and pretended to sleep.

After what seemed like eternity, Sam shut down his computer and slipped into bed. Ever since they were kids, Sam and Dean had shared beds and left a bed for their father. Sam being the youngest always lost the blankets to Dean but today, Dean put up no fight when Sam played tug of war for the blankets. Sam hesitated he wanted to ask Dean what was wrong but he knew Dean would only shut him out so he just wrapped himself in the blanket, grateful for the opportunity to keep the blankets all to himself. Soon enough, Dean felt the abnormally long limbs that belonged to his brother spread out. Not really in the mood, Dean elbowed his brother and Sam quickly got the message. Soon after that, the eldest Winchester turned in for the night.

Dean lay silently in the night waiting for the breathing of the other Winchesters to slow down to that sleeping state. He waited a few more minutes to ensure that both were asleep. He glanced at the clock on the nightstand and saw 2:37AM. Time had sure flown. He slowly eased out of the bed making sure that Sam didn't notice but all Sam did was turn slightly and continue his quiet snoring. Dean snuck across the room and grabbed his duffel. He turned back to look at his family one last time hoping he would return soon. He sped off refusing to turn back.

The strange cold feeling he felt on his left side suddenly awakened Sam. He pulled the blanket so he could cover himself but then he remembered Dean. That night Dean had been acting strangely. He called quietly, "Dean?"

Dean didn't respond so Sam turned only to find the spot next to his bed empty. Sam jumped out of bed only to find Dean's belongings gone. He started to panic and saw his dad was still asleep. Sam crossed the room and peeked out the window only to find that Dean's beloved Impala was gone. He started to consider the different possibilities. Okay maybe Dean went to get breakfast. But it didn't make sense so he went to his dad. "Hey Dad. Wake up. Dean…Dean isn't here."

John sat straight up and looked around. "Maybe he went to get breakfast," knowing that it was not true.

John felt his heart break. He had lost his son, even though he had sworn to protect his two sons. 'Why did he leave?' John thought, 'Maybe he left because he was tired of taking orders. But no, as much as he hated to admit it, Dean was a good soldier; he never disobeyed his father. Or maybe he was tired of hunting? No, Dean loved hunting – it was his second nature. Maybe he needed a break?' "C'mon Sam, get ready. We'll get breakfast then we'll go searching for Dean."

Dean had been driving nonstop. He was tired. His muscles ached. His eyes were starting to close. However, he forced himself to stay focused so that he could be far enough before they realized he was gone. Dean blasted "Highway to Hell" on his radio in order to stay awake. He needed to keep going but the road seemed to be never ending. Occasionally he would feel the Impala swerve slightly so he would tighten his grip on the wheel. He glanced at the clock and saw it was almost 4:00AM. He wondered if Sam and his dad were up yet.

As he turned his eyes back onto the road he saw a woman standing in the middle of the road paralyzed in fear. Dean was quickly approaching and there was no way he could stop safely; she braced for the impact and covered her face with her arms. Dean, however, was not about to hit an innocent woman. His heroic instinct kicked in and he swerved and missed the lady only by inches but was unable to regain control so the Impala flew off the road. It flipped and twisted in the air performing a sick dance. It finally slammed into a tree. The adored car was now nothing more than battered, crushed metal and inside lay an unconscious Dean bleeding freely.

Sam tapped his foot impatiently. Again, directly to voicemail. He shoved his phone into this pocket. This was the eighth time calling. He was sick and tired of Dean's foolish little game. As much as he hated to admit it, he missed Dean. But he very well knew that if Dean didn't want to be found he wasn't going to be found, after all they had grown up to be hunters.

The ever present silence lurked in the truck. It was bad enough being with his father, but now Dean wasn't there to distract him. Lately, whenever he and his father were in the same room, everything tensed up. There was one good thing about Dean going missing, the "conversations" that they were having weren't as hostile.

"Sam, how're you holding up?" John asked. He knew his son was having a hard time, but he knew he wasn't going to open up to him. John hated himself for forcing his sons to grow up into this life. He really wished Mary was still there to help him, but she wasn't and he had to make the decisions for his family alone.

Sam was taken aback by John's sudden interest. He wanted to cry. He wanted to reveal just how much he missed his brother. He missed his brother's lame jokes. He missed his brother's insults. Heck, he even missed his brother calling him Sammy. But he knew better. His father wanted him to be a soldier. He must be emotionless. "I'm fine" he responded.

John knew all too well the emotions Sam was bottling up, but right now wasn't the time to play Oprah. He saw Sam's frustration, but there was nothing he could say. They had spent all day looking for Dean and there was not one shred of evidence that he even existed. John called the phone company and tried to get Dean's location by using his phone. He had seriously doubted that Dean would have his cell phone, but the phone company told him Dean's location. John's face lit up; they only had a few more miles to go before getting there.

On the road ahead, John saw a streak of wheel marks that led right off the road. If John wasn't mistaken, they looked fairly new. John said, "Sam pull aside."

"Why?"

"Just do it." John replied rather annoyed by his son's disobedience.

John stepped out of the truck and signaled Sam to do the same. They followed the marks and peeked over the side of the road. They saw a black crushed car and the bottom. The only reason they knew it was a car was that they saw shattered glass everywhere and a license plate. John bent over to see the plate and noticed that it was from Kansas. Fear gripped his stomach. John read on and saw that it was Dean's beloved Impala. He raced down the hill hoping and praying that his son was alive. But as he searched the car, the only thing he found was blood. John looked back to tell Sam that his brother wasn't here, but he saw Sam standing there holding Dean's crushed cell phone.

Dean started to stir. Every time he came more and more aware of his surroundings, his pain grew. The bed he was on was not the most comfortable bed, but it did the job. He didn't want to get up. His head hurt. His sides hurt. His neck hurt. His legs hurt. The bed had embraced Dean's aching body. After a few minutes of contemplation, Dean opened his eyes. The room swiveled in and out of focus. He reached up and massaged his temple hoping to focus his eyes. As the world slowly came to a halt, he saw where the faint light was coming from. A single light bulb illuminated the room. He looked around for a possible escape route, but the windows were boarded up and the door was made out of metal. A small opening in the door only further emphasized the darkness of the place. A sound of jingling keys soon became clear. It seemed to be getting louder and louder. As quickly as the sound had grown, it stopped. He heard a click as the door was unlocked and opened.

A young woman walked in and asked "How do you feel?"

Dean tried to ask where he was but he only managed to utter "WhrmI?"

She walked over to Dean and reached out to grab him. Dean mustered together all of his strength and tried to move away, but his body wouldn't respond. She slipped her hand under his head and gently lifted it. She placed a cup to his mouth and attempted to give him some water, but he forced his mouth shut and refused to give the water permission to enter.

"Drink. It's water."

Again she gently tipped the cup to allow the water flow to begin. The cool water soothed Dean and started drinking greedily, but she took the cup away.

"Where am I?" he asked

"In my home."

He wondered why she had taken him to her home, but rethought the question as he remembered that his other option was a hospital. "Who are you?"

"I'm Becky."

He gazed intently at her. She looked so familiar. _If only my head didn't hurt so much_. He recalled the accident and remembered the petrified girl. "Wait, you're the girl from the road. What are you doing here? Why did you bring me to your _home_?"

"I need you."

Then she swiftly left the room. Dean's stomach flipped as he thought of the different possibilities that those three words could hold.

John took long strides as he returned to the truck. Sam silently followed John, looking for some reassurance that his brother was all right, but nothing came. As John sat in the driver's seat, the temporary joy he had felt, vanished. John and Sam checked into the nearest motel. There was nothing they could do. John buried himself in his journal searching for a supernatural way to explain Dean's disappearance. Dean would never crash the Impala on purpose, and if he did it on accident there was no way he would have walked away. But as he flipped through the pages, he found a number of explanations for his son's disappearance, to make matters worse, each of the explanations had a multiple reasons to target his eldest.

"Hey Dad, Dean isn't the first one to go missing. Eight people have also gone missing," Sam said as he peered at John from the computer.

"I need a list of those people. Let's go."

Becky came back. This time she brought some burgers. Becky propped Dean up as he let out a small grunt of pain.

"Becky, why were you roaming the streets at 4:00 AM?" Dean asked, disregarding his stomachs request for food.

"You'll find out soon enough."

"Why are you taking care of me?"

"The only reason I'm taking care of you is because I need you so why don't you eat so we can get this over with," she responded rather annoyed.

"Look, I don't have time to play your sick little mind games. So if you don't mind I'll be leaving."

Dean tried to get out of the bed, but his body simply would not respond. Becky took advantage of this moment and fed him a piece of burger. Repulsed by the idea of someone feeding him, he spit out the piece of burger.

"Eat it."

"I'm not hungry," Dean replied childishly, but his stomach deceived him and grumbled rather loudly.

She gave him another piece. Dean made a disgusted face, but he savored every bite he took. He was ashamed of having to give in to a complete stranger, but he had to be strong enough to fight. Once she was finished feeding him, she left Dean alone to his thoughts. He wished his father were there. He needed him right now, but by the looks of it, his father was to become a piece of the past.

Sam and John started their investigation at the police station.

"I'm Special Agent Kessel and this is my partner Special Agent Mitchell," John stated, as they flashed their fake FBI badges to the secretary. "We were wondering if we could speak to the police chief in regards to the recent disappearances."

The secretary led them to the police chief's tiny office. Once again, they flashed their badges to the police chief.

"How can I help you agents?" asked the police chief.

"We are conducting an investigation on the eight disappearances that have occurred within the last year. We were wondering if you could share any information you had in regards to the disappearances."

"Well so far all the victims have disappeared during the night. The victim's cars appear crashed and the victims are no longer in the vehicles. At first, we assumed it was a bear or another wild animal, but after eight consecutive crashes, we seriously doubt it. We are starting to suspect that someone is causing these accidents but the weird this is that all the vehicles seem to be run off the road."

"Could we please have a copy of the location where all the vehicles were found and a list of the victims' families? Please update us on any more disappearances."

With a list of the homes and locations of the crash sites, the Winchesters visited each of the families to investigate. The victims seemed to have nothing in common except for the fact that they had left that night and had found car crashed and empty of its owner. Sam and John then visited the destinations of each of the victims and found that they had gotten there, but never made it back home. Whoever or whatever was taking the victims was taking their victims in the wee hours of the morning.

As they drove back to the motel, John informed, "I think it might either be a wendigo or a vampire. I highly doubt it is a wendigo because it's been driving people off the road and a wendigo would be too far away from its hide out." but John fell silent not wanting to think of the possibility that Dean was dead. "Although it could be a vampire, I don't understand why a vampire would want to ram the car off the road."

Once in the motel, Sam started researching for any reasons to eliminate the possibilities. As John had noted, it couldn't be a wendigo, because the wendigo would have to wonder too far away from its hideout in order to reach the vehicles. Sam then searched for any violent deaths or any reasons to suggest it was a ghost or a woman in white, but none of the deaths were extreme enough to cause any haunting. His only option was vampires. The town was relatively free of disappearances until this last year. Normally a vampire would stick to a certain area for a while. But then as he continued his research he found a pattern. There would be about ten disappearances, and then everything would go silent. Then more disappearances would appear northeast of the previous town.

"Hey Dad, I think we are dealing with vampires. There has been a consistent pattern for over a decade."

"Okay. Tonight I'll call Bobby and I'll ask him to help us out. Sam I want you to stay here incase Dean calls and this turns out to by nothing."

As was expected Sam started protesting. "Why can't you let me go with you? Dean is out there and you're making me stay in this stupid motel. Dad, I've been hunting for quite a while, and I am sure that I know how to take care of myself. Besides, Dean doesn't even know where we are and we'll bring the cell phone just in case he calls."

He was tired of being treated like a child. Whenever, it was his turn to return the favor and protect Dean, he was always pushed aside.

"No! I've already lost one of my sons and I don't need to lose another. Now you are to stay in this motel just as you're told," John ordered.

"Yes, sir," Sam replied reluctantly.

John grabbed his phone and called Bobby. Bobby quickly agreed and arrived the next morning.

"Hey John, how's Sam holding up?"

"Sam's worried about his brother. He wants to be part of this hunt, but I can't risk losing both of them. He's staying here." In an attempt to change the subject, John started informing Bobby on his plans, "I'm thinking that I'll drive ahead and you follow. Wait until the vampire tries to take me and then you follow us until you find the nest. Then we'll see what else we need to do."

"John, I really think Sam should be a part of this. I mean he is old enough and he is well trained."

"No."

John was truly serious about putting their life's at risk. There was no way Bobby was going to change his mind. Bobby didn't typically agree with John, but he felt that Sam should be allowed to tag along after all they were going to get his brother, but after all, John was a Winchester, and a very stubborn one at that.

Dean heard the door unlock once again, but this time when Becky entered, she was accompanied by four other people.

"Hey Dean, so today is the day when all is revealed. Just as expected your father made a foolish little plan to find you." She cackled and sent chills down Dean's spine.

Dean was still has helpless as ever. Without the proper attention, his wounds were becoming infected and he was no better than he was a few days ago. But upon hearing his father's name, he asked, "What does my father have to do with this?"

"He has everything to do with this," she spat in disgust. "It was your father who started wiping out our family. He surprised us all; being a relatively new hunter, we didn't expect that level of skill. We went into hiding, swearing revenge. We spent years creating the perfect plan, setting out traps and now all our hard work has paid off. We thought it would be a few more years before you guys stumbled upon our trail, but your family is so broken up it was only a matter of time before one of you decided to take some time off. Little did we expect the little soldier of the family to be the first to leave."

"Don't you dare talk about my family like that you bitch. I bet they can out smart you any day. I'll take you on any day." Dean suddenly paused unsure of what creature he was talking to anyway.

"I'm sure you don't know the first thing about killing us."

"Yeah I do. All I need to do is…"

The vampires mocked him. "You don't even know what we are! We're vampires you idiotic child. Max. Karl. Get him ready I'm sure his father will make the same timely appearance as he always does."

John started his trip down the same highway his son had traveled only a few nights ago. He wondered what had been going through Dean's head. He knew the reason why his son had left. Guilt started to cloud his mind as he worried that Dean might be dead because of him. John lowered his speed just enough to make sure he did not run off the road. Then as expected a woman frantically waved her arms hoping that the truck would halt. Just as she had done so many times before, she braced for impact, but John managed to stop the car only a few inches away from her. With a knife in hand, John stepped out of the truck ready to kill anyone who crossed his path. The woman went over to John and begged, "Please help me! Something was chasing me!"

As she buried her face in John's shoulder, he injected her with dead man's blood. She cried in pain as she realized what was now cursing through her veins. "Oh, foolish Winchester! You shouldn't have done that," she hissed.

Without warning, the other vampires appeared and grabbed a hold of John. "You are going to pay dearly for hurting my family. You murdered my family right before my eyes, I shall now return the favor and murder them before yours."

"You will not harm my boys!"

"Ah, but you see you already left your boys vulnerable to attacks. What did you do to make Dean, your most valuable player, leave?"

"Nothing that concerns you." However, upon hearing this response Becky's eyes filled with a sick joy.

"Remember how Sam was supposed to stay on the sidelines in order to remain free of injury? Well you were foolish to think that Sam was actually safer on his own than with you by his side."

"Don't you dare mess with me you stupid bitch. Leave Sam alone."

"Too late, John. You waged war, well war is the true bitch."

He tried to wrench free from the two vampires holding him, but his efforts were futile. With little effort, one of the vampires knocked him out and loaded him into the truck. They drove off into the night unaware of Bobby's close following. When the truck came to a halt, Bobby made sure to remain at a safe distance. The building looked a lot like an old abandoned institution.

The two vampires unloaded John and took him inside. Bobby remained motionless until morning, knowing that entering any sooner would pose great danger. When he was sure that the vampires had gone to sleep. He sneaked inside reading the nameplate by the door that read "Montebello Asylum."

Once inside, he spotted John lying in a heap on the ground. His wrists were tied to one of the pillars that decorated the lobby. Bobby rushed over to his friend and quickly cut the ropes.

"John, wake up we need to get the boys," he quietly whispered.

John wearily opened his eyes and tried to focus on the image of Bobby in front of him but no thanks to that blow on his head, his head was pounding making it difficult to focus. Recalling the severity of their situation, John pushed past the pain and got to his feet. Immediately, they started searching the building.

Upon reaching the cafeteria, they found both boys hanging from the ceiling. Both were unconscious, but Sam was in much better shape than Dean was. Dean's shirt was saturated with dried blood. His face was mixed with dirt and blood. His wounds seemed infected, which meant that he also had a fever. Disturbed by his son's appearance, John asked himself just how he could have let this happen.

Without further hesitation, John pulled out his knife and started cutting the ropes that bound Sam's now-bleeding wrists.

"Na ah ah. I wouldn't do that if I were you," the woman warned.

"Why not? Tell me who are you and what do you want with me?"

"Oh John, I can see that age is making you more and more forgetful. I remember every detail of that night that you went after my family. You butchered them like animals. As I was telling Dean, we hid in order to survive. You have no idea how painful it is to watch everyone you've ever cared about be murdered before your eyes. I shall now avenge their deaths by killing you and your precious family."

"Your sick." Not believing a single word, he resumed cutting the ropes. Then as Sam fell into John's arms, John heard a sound. He turned to see what had caused it but saw his other son fall to the ground. However, the old floorboards could not support Dean's weight and collapsed, sending Dean crashing through two stories before coming to a halt.

"DEAN!" John yelled as he looked into the hole that had swallowed his son.

"I warned you. You see I knew you weren't going to listen to me. As I said, I've been planning this for years. I've been studying your stupid habits, including your disregard for warnings until it is too late and now you have harmed one of the few things you hold dear. I hope you remember just how much vampires love blood because your soldier is about to become puppy chow. I seriously doubt you'll get to him on time.

She jumped down the hatch and landed next to Dean's side. The vampires started savoring the blood they were about to indulge.

Bobby started his way down as John loaded his gun with tranquilizers filled with dead man's blood. He shot and managed to hit one of the vampires, only angering the vampires further. Knowing John would not dare cause his son further harm, Becky picked Dean up and used him as a shield. "Let's play hide and seek shall we? Let's see if you can hit us even if Dean here plays shield."

Seeing his son thrown around like a rag doll caused John's hands to tremble. He tried to aim but the shots he fired missed. The vampires roared with laughter upon seeing the legendary John Winchester, miss every shot.

"You're more pathetic than I could have ever imagined. Your son's as good as dead."

Further angered, John shot and hit Dean. Not even the pain from the tranquilizer made Dean respond. Pained to see Dean in that position and angered by his inability to kill the vampires he fell to his knees unable to bear the scene any longer. "Please. Take me."

He heard Becky rejoice at the idea that she had finally made John succumb to his emotions. Suddenly, her happiness was ended with a terrible screech. John scooped Sam into his arms and bolted to the room where Dean and the vampires where at.

As he walked into the room, he saw Bobby next to Dean checking for a pulse. Bobby had somehow managed to sneak into the room and kill off the vampires. "John, we need to get Dean to a hospital."

John nodded in agreement and then led the way to the truck. They laid the boys in the backseat and sped off to the hospital. John looked into the rear-view mirror and saw Dean's ghastly appearance, which made him shiver slightly.

John brought the truck right up to the curb, and dashed inside the hospital and asked for help.

"Sir calm down. We will send two stretchers to your car in a moment. Here are some forms we need you to fill out. Please take a seat and we will relay the information to you as soon as we get it."

As the nurse was calming him down, he saw a pair of stretchers head out to the truck and bring in his two unconscious boys. John carefully followed the boys hoping that today was not the last day he would see them.

John filled out the paper work almost subconsciously. All he could think about was his boys. With every noise, John's head shot straight up hoping that it was the sound of news coming his way.

Bobby had seen John through many tough times, but this was certainly one of the worst times. He couldn't imagine just how much it pained his friend to have both of his boys hurt. On top of that, he knew that John blamed himself for Dean's actions and what had happened as a result.

"I'm gonna go get some coffee." Bobby muttered. He was sure John hadn't noticed but he knew there were other more important things on his mind.

"Mr. Williams?" John head a voice say.

"What? Yeah, I'm John Williams," John responded.

"I'm Dr. Matthew Jones. Your son, Sam Williams, is under my care," informed the young doctor.

"How is he?"

"He's doing quite well. He got very lucky. He has a few cracked ribs that seem to have been caused by lack of care under the hands of his abductors. He also has a small concussion. I am confident that your son will make a full recovery. I wished I had more news, but your other son's care is under another doctor."

"Could I see him?" John asked with a bit relieved to hear the good news.

"Yes. He's in room 405. I heard that they were going to put both of your boys in the same room to make it easier on your family."

"Thank you."

John rushed over to the elevator eager to see his son. He pulled out his phone and called Bobby, "Hey Bobby, I just got news on Sam. He's in room 405."

As soon as the door opened, John rushed through the halls searching for room 405. Scared of what he would find inside, John slowly entered the room. Except for a few bruises and the IV in his arm, John might have thought that Sam was only sleeping. He was delighted to see that Sam was in pretty good shape. John slipped into the creaky, uncomfortable hospital chair and maintained a watchful eye over his son.

"Forgive me, Sam. Forgive me. I should have listened to you. Had I done so, you wouldn't be here. I am so sorry," John whispered to his unconscious son.

John regretted all the times he was more of a sergeant as opposed to a father, but he had to be a tough father. Hunters could not have an easy life. He desperately wished that he could have provided a better lifestyle to his children. Because of his crappy decisions, their family was now falling apart. He couldn't bear to think just how angry Mary would be with the choices he had made as a father.

There was a soft knock on the door and Bobby walked in. He observed Sam closely before turning his attention to John and handing him his coffee. "So, what did the doctor say about Sam?" he asked.

"He said that it was nothing too major. He was certain that Sam would make a full recovery."

"That's good."

Both observed Sam and allowed an unbearable silence to take over. After a few minutes, John asked "How did you kill the vamp – them?"

"They were paying too much attention to you to notice me. Because they were fairly new, most failed to sense me. So one by one, I killed them. The only who one saw me a few seconds too late was the last one that is why she screeched. I'm sorry about what happened to Dean."

"You shouldn't be. It was my fault he got hurt. I… He… He ran away. Sam had his suspicions as to why he ran away, but he doesn't know exactly why. It's my fault, that he ran away. Everyday, Dean tried to help the family but we would push him away."

"You idiot. Why didn't you call me?"

"I didn't think things would get out of hand."

Just then, another doctor came in. "Hi, I am Doctor Scott Wolfe. As you can probably imagine I am Dean's doctor.

"How's my son?" John asked, hoping that Dean had gotten lucky like Sam.

"Well, for starters he could have been much worse. Whoever was keeping him had the courtesy of feeding and keeping him hydrated. However, he still had severe injuries. He cracked his skull, broke four ribs. His leg was broken in two places. He dislocated his shoulder. Some of his internal organs were slightly bruised. He has multiple cuts, some deeper than others. To make matters worse he got a bacterial infection. Because his body has foreign blood, the body is now focusing on the blood as opposed to the infection, which is taking a toll on his body. In light of the situation, I am amazed by the way your son has been able to pull through these injuries. Normally, anyone who would sustain such injuries would have surely died. We will do our best to ensure that your son continues his path towards recovery, but sadly, we can't guarantee anything.

John was taken aback by the severity of Dean's injuries. "Will I be able to see him?"

"He will be coming out of surgery soon so I'll let you know when we are bringing him."

Bobby wished him goodnight and left to rent a motel room for the night, knowing that any attempts to convince John to come with him would be useless. John stayed behind waiting for Dean to come. He started to doze off when he heard the bed wheeled in. Dean looked horrible. His face was so pale. Tubes seemed to cover his entire body. It was disturbing to see how weak his son looked. For about fifteen minutes, the doctors hovered around ensuring that everything was okay. John could do nothing but watch his son rest. He was glad that his son was still alive, but it pained him to see all the suffering Dean was going through, not only physically but also emotionally. Dean had always wanted what was best for the family, but because of his determination to kill the yellow-eyed demon, he had always sought was in his best interest, rarely in the best interest of the boys.

Finally, when everyone left, he walked over to Dean. John felt a few tears roll down his check as he watched his son's chest rise and fall in a peaceful manner. Having been a military man, John had learned to conquer his emotions, but seeing Dean in this position was much too difficult. John stroked Dean's forehead as he had when Dean was just a child. John returned to the chair to maintain an eye on both of his sons, but the events of the day had taken a toll and he dozed off.

Bobby walked in to find all three Winchesters sleeping. He walked over to John, and called him.

"Hey, Bobby," John groggily responded.

"I saw Dean…" but cut off unsure of what to say.

"Yeah."

They heard a heavy sign and the soft rustling of sheets. They turned to find that Sam was waking up.

Sam looked around unsure of his location. Soon the smell of chemicals and the overwhelming color of white signaled that he was at a hospital.

"Dad," he murmured.

"Hey Sam. Take it easy buddy. You're in a hospital but don't worry you're going to be all right."

"Dad, I'm not six. How's Dean?"

"Dean is…"

"Dad, I saw Dean before I passed out. I just want to know how bad it really was."

"Well, he wasn't as lucky as you were, but doctors are hopeful."

Sam eased out of bed and wobbled over to pull the curtain that hid his brother. He was devastated to see his hero in that state. He couldn't help but think that it was slightly his fault that his brother was lying on a hospital bed.

John easily recognized the guilty expression that was starting to spread over Sam's face. "He walked over to him and helped him get back to his bed. "Look, it's not your fault. Dean ran away from home on his own account and well sometimes the unexpected can happen.

"Don't act like it wasn't our fault. We drove him away in the first place. Dad, Dean nearly died and you think it isn't your fault."

"Hello, Sam. How are you feeling?" asked Dr. Jones.

Both John and Sam were surprised to see the doctor standing in the doorway. Apparently, Bobby had left during their argument muttering insults under his breath about just how stupid John was to be bickering with his son at the hospital. When the doctor saw Bobby, he deemed it best to check on his patient.

"I'm feeling better."

"That's great. By the looks of things, you'll be discharged in two days. We want to keep you here a few more days to ensure that there are no complications. I'll send a nurse to check up on you later."

"Thanks."

John let Sam rest. He left the room to go get a snack, but in reality, he needed a break. Sam's words had cut him like razors. It had been his fault that Dean ran away. Heck, it was his fault that Dean was having a hard time fighting the infection; after all, he was the one who shot him with dead man's blood. John was taken aback by just how much Sam suspected.

Two days later, Sam was released and left with Bobby. Bobby had plans to fix the beloved Impala knowing how much it would mean to Dean so he let Sam help him fix up the car. After saying good bye, John continued his faithful watch over his son. John peered into Dean's face and begged for forgiveness. Then, he saw a twitch in Dean's eyebrows. Soon Dean's gagging reflex kicked in. A nurse quickly came to remove the respirator tube and replaced it with a nose cannula. However, Dean remained asleep.

A few hours later, Dean started to regain consciousness. "'ad" Dean uttered.

John turned with a start, he had been reading the paper looking for a new hunt.

"How's 'am" he muttered.

"Hi, Dean. Your brother is with Bobby he was already discharged. They're coming tomorrow to check up on you. You really scared me this time, Dean-o."

"Sorry, sir," he replied, obediently.

When he heard his son's response, he wondered why he had been so tough on his boys. There was never a need to be so strict with his sons. John was suddenly repulsed with the way he had become so emotional, but as long as his boys were okay, nothing else mattered.

"Dad. I need to tell you something," Dean uttered in a barely audible whisper.

"What?"

"I'm sorry that I ran away." Tears started leaking out of his eyes. "None of this would have happened if I hadn't run away. But, I was just so tired of Sam and you always fighting. I couldn't be there anymore. Whenever I defended either of you, the other would be at my throat. I wanted Sam to be happy but we both know the dangers of living the hunter lifestyle. I just… I just wanted it to stop…" and he drifted off to sleep exhausted.

"Don't be sorry. I'm the one who should be sorry," he whispered. Why hadn't he seen his son's suffering before? Why did it take a hospital to bring this out? With his constant bickering with Sam, he had never realized the toll the fights were having on Dean.

The next day, Dean woke up just in time to see Sam and Bobby walk in. Rest had worked wonders on Dean. Dean was thrilled to see his brother alive and well.

"How are you feeling?" Sam asked.

"Just peachy," Dean replied, giving him his best grin.

John observed his boys as they played around. John saw that Dean didn't appear to remember last night's events. John promised that he would no longer fight with Sam. Dean was finally discharged about two weeks later.

Only a few days after being discharged, the fighting and yelling started all over again. Dean simply rolled his eyes and hoped the fighting would end soon. He grabbed his keys and locked the door behind him, hoping that when he returned the fighting would be over.


End file.
